A Quad’s Rise In The Indo-Pacific That’s Rich With Irony For Beijing

Livemint     15th March 2021     Save    
QEP Pocket Notes

Context: Highlighting major takeaways and opportunities from the first Quad virtual summit, 2021

Takeaways from first Quad virtual summit, 2021

  • The first joint statement- ‘The Spirit of the Quad’: Committed four members to –
    • Promote a free, open rules-based order, rooted in international law;
    • Advance security and prosperity and counter threats to both in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
    • Supporting “the rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful resolution of disputes, democratic values, and territorial integrity.”
  • Looking beyond China challenge: Focus on economic and health impacts of covid-19, climate change, shared challenges in cyberspace, critical technologies, counterterrorism, quality infrastructure investment, and humanitarian- assistance and disaster relief and maritime security.
  • Greater institutionalization: Formed Quad Vaccine Partnership, the Quad Vaccine Experts Group, the Quad Climate Working Group and the Quad Critical and Emerging Technology Working Group.
  • Leveraging each other’s strengths:
    • Promised to supply 1 billion doses of a covid vaccine to the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and wider Indo-Pacific countries by the end of 2022.
    • It will be part of an international exercise that will use Indian manufacturing, American and Japanese funding and Australian logistics.
    • Readiness to work with other regional stakeholders: Including ASEAN members as well as European countries, to work towards regional peace, security and prosperity.

Conclusion: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was right about how last week’s summit underlined that “Quad has come of age” and “will now remain an important pillar of stability in the region.”

QEP Pocket Notes